Dumping grass-collector.



No. 774,356. PATENTED NOV. 8, 1904.

J. H. HIRT.

DUMPING GRASS COLLECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21, 1904.

N0 MODEL. ZSHBETS-SHEET l.

No. 774,356. PATENTED NOV. 8, 1904. J. H. HIRT.

DUMPING GRASS COLLECTOR.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 21, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

m I M u u n p m n m I n I n n u m UNITED STATES Patented November 8,1904.

JOSEPH H. HIRT, OF BUCYRUS, KANSAS.

DUMPING GRASS-COLLECTOR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 774,356, dated November8, 1904. Application filed July 21, 1904- Serial No. 217,464. (Nomodel.)

To all whmit it 'H'l/(LZ/ concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH H. HIRT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bucyrus, in the county of Miami and State of Kansas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in DumpingGrass-Collectors, of which the following is a specification. 1

My invention relates to improvements in grass-collectors for attachmentto lawn-mowers; and the essential features of the collector reside inits hinged bottom and back portions, whereby the grass may be dumpedwithout inverting the collector and the mowing-machine, and in theadjustability of the collector whereby it may be expanded or contractedlaterally to fit lawn-mowers of different widths.

The invention further consists in the novel construction, arrangement,and combination of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in theclaims.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings,'in which Figure 1 represents asideelevation of my improved grass-collector in position on a lawnmower.Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the collector with its bottomand rear walls in the positions they occupy when discharging the grass.Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the collector. Fig. 4 is a frontelevation of the same partly contracted in full lines and expanded indotted lines.

In carrying out the invention I employ'a pair of vertically-arrangedside frames 1, connected at their upper rear corners and lower front andrear corners by inwardly-extending bars 2, 3, and 4, respectively, theinner ends of which overlap andhave slots 2, 3, and 4 in order that theymay be expanded or contracted by loosening bolts 5, 6, and 7. The rearends of frames 1 are mounted upon casterwheels 8, and their front lowerportions are provided with forwardly-extending arms 9, having a seriesof bolt-holes for the reception of bolts 11, which adjustabl-y securethe forward portions of said arms to the rear slotted ends of thelawn-mower 12. Arms 9 are pivotally secured to the frames by bolts 13 inorder that the forward portions of said frames may be adjusted theproper distance from the ground and when thus adjusted are held byclamping-nuts 14, engaging the outer ends of bolts 13.

15 designates sheet-metal side walls riveted to the inner sides of theframes and which eX- tend forwardly beyond the latter in order to guidethe grass into the collector when thrown rearwardly by the rotary knife16 of the lawnmower. The lower front corners of said side walls are cutout at 17 to lit the curvature of wheels 18.

19 designates a bottom portion comprising a pair of side bars 20,adjustably connected together by inwardly-extending bars 21 22, havingslots 23 in their overlapping ends for the reception of a bolt 24, whichadjustably secures said bars together, and sheet-metal portions 25 26,riveted to bars 20, 21, and 22 and having slotted overlapping innerends, so said bottom portion 19 may be expanded and contracted with theside walls of the collector. Bottom portion 19 is secured by hinges 27to bars 4, and its front end normally rests upon bars 3.

The rear end of the collector is normally closed by a gate 28,comprising two sheetmetal sections 29 30, having slotted overlappinginner ends, and bars 31 and 32, to which section 29 is riveted. Saidbars are provided at their inner ends with slots 33 for the adjustmentof bolts 34, extending therethrough and secured to section in order thatsaid section may be adjusted on section 29 to accommodate the varyingwidths to which the side walls and bottom portion 19 may be adjusted.

Gate 28 is secured at one end to one of the side walls by hinges 35 andprovided at its opposite end with a bar 36 for engagement with latch 37pivotally secured to the adjacent frame 1 and which is normally held inengagement with bar 36 bya retractile spring 38. ward portion for thereception of a cable 40, which extends therethrough, thence over andthrough the coils of a. spring 41, through bar 2, and is attached at itslower end to the forward end of bottom portion 19. The upper Latch 37has an eye 39 in its upper forend of said cable is preferably attachedto handle d2 of the lawn-mower in order to be within convenient reach ofthe operator.

Spring 41 is secured at its opposite ends to bar 2 and the hinged end ofthe gate, so that the instant latch 37 is raised out of engagement frombar 36 gate 28 will be drawn open by said spring in advance of theupward movement of bottom portion 19, so that the grass discharged fromthe latter will not be impeded by said gate.

43 designates a chain attached at its opposite ends to frames 1 andadapted to engage a hook 44s on the handlebar of the lawnmower so thatwhen turning the latter casterwheels 8 may be raised from the ground, ifdesired, by elevating handle 42.

In practice the front edge of bottom 19 is arranged the desired heightabove the ground and the proper distanceto the rear of the lawn-mower byproperly adjusting arms 9- through the medium of bolt-holes 10 and bolts11 and 13. Then as the lawn-mower is pushed forward the rotary cutter 16will cut and throw the severed grass into the collector until the latteris filled. Said collector is then emptied by pulling upwardly on cable40, which disengages the latch from the gate so the latter will be swungopen by spring 41 to permit the grass to discharge from the upwardly-swinging bottom 19, which latter is raised by the operatorcontinuing to pull on the cable. By thus controlling the discharge ofthe grass the latter may be dumped in piles or in the form of a windrow,so that it can be easily gathered from the lawn.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

l. A grass-collector having two side walls, inwardly-extending barssecured to the side walls and adj ustably secured together at theirinner overlapping ends, a laterally-adjustable bottom secured to anumber of the inwardlyextending bars, and a laterallyadjustable backsuitably secured to one of the side walls.

2. A grass-collector having two laterally-adjustable side walls, abottom portion composed of two sections suitably secured to the sidewalls at their outer ends and adjustably secured together at their inneroverlapping ends, and a gate hinged at one end to one of the side wallscomposed of two sections the inner overlapping ends of which areadjustably secured together.

3. A grass-collector having two laterally-adjustable side walls, abottom portion composed of two sections suitably secured to the sidewalls at their outer ends and adjustably secured together at their inneroverlapping ends, a gate hinged at one end to one of the side wallscomposed of two sections the inner overlapping ends of which areadjustably secured together, and means for normally holding said gate ina closed position.

4. A grass-collector having two laterally-adj ustable side walls, abottom portion composed of two sections suitably secured to the sidewalls at their outer ends and adjustably sesured together at their inneroverlapping ends, a gate hinged at one end to one of the side wallscomposed of two sections the inner overlapping ends of which areadjustably secured together, a latch for normally holding the gateclosed, and means for automatically opening the gate when released fromthe latch.

5. A grass-collector having two side Walls, a bottom portion hinged atits rear end to the side walls, a gate hinged to one of the side walls,alatch for normally holding the gate closed provided with an eye, meansfor automatically opening the gate when released from the latch, and acable extending through the eye of the latch and attached at its lowerend to the front portion of the hinged bottom.

in testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOSEPH H. HIRT.

Witnesses:

PAUL LASKIE, N. H. LINDEMOOD

